What we do
The Canadian Federation of Humane Societies is the national voice of member humane societies and SPCA…, which serve animals in communities large and small, urban and rural, English and French, in every province across Canada. We bring together those who work with and care for animals to promote respect and humane treatment toward all animals – in the home, on the farm, in the lab and in the wild.
Our work falls into the following categories:
Strengthening and supporting humane societies & SPCA…
The CFHS… helps humane societies and SPCA… across Canada better serve animals in their communities by providing them with support, expertise and opportunities for collaboration.
Through our regular e-bulletins, our semi-annual conference and publications such as our Shelter Operations Manual, we keep humane societies and SPCA… up to date on emerging animal welfare issues, training and funding opportunities, and best practices in animal sheltering, humane education and advocacy. For our member organizations, we offer many additional supports, including one-to-one guidance, a members-only online forum for the exchange of ideas and resources, and a unique funding research service.
We also help humane societies and SPCA… carry out humane education programs by administering the McGrand Trust, a capital fund left by Senator Frederic A. McGrand to support animal welfare work in Atlantic Canada. Every year the CFHS… awards grants from this trust to organizations in the Maritimes for humane education projects.
For more information on how we help member organizations and how to apply for membership, click here.
For a list of our member organizations, click here.
Public education
Since being founded in 1957, the CFHS… has earned a solid reputation as the “go-to” national voice on animal welfare issues for the media, government, non-governmental organizations and the public. We provide leadership on animal welfare issues and ensure crucial messages are heard and understood from coast to coast.
In recent years, our key public education efforts have included:
- Promoting the adoption of homeless pets from humane societies and SPCA…
- Raising awareness of puppy mills and backyard breeders, and of how to acquire pets responsibly from humane, reputable sources
- Educating Canadians on principles of responsible pet ownership such as spaying and neutering and providing permanent identification
- Spreading awareness of the need to reform the shockingly inadequate animal cruelty sections of the Criminal Code
- Calling public attention to the suffering experience by livestock during transportation, due to unacceptably long transport times, overcrowded trucks and other problems
We raise awareness of these issues through our website, print and electronic newsletters, in-depth reports, public service announcements, editorials and articles published in magazines and other publications. Our newsletters reach an estimated 10,000 readers across Canada. We are regularly contacted by national media outlets and major daily newspapers to comment on current animal welfare issues, and we use this opportunity to reach an even wider audience of Canadians with key messages.
Sign up to receive our monthly e-newsletter here.
Advocacy for improved animal protection laws
In addition to educating Canadians about the shortcoming of current animal protection laws, we work proactively to shape the drafting and adoption of progressive changes to inadequate laws and regulations. Current campaigns in this area include:
- Amendments to the Criminal Code: For more than 10 years, the CFHS… has spearheaded a campaign pushing for much-needed amendments to Canada’s outdated animal cruelty law. The current animal cruelty sections of the Criminal Code were written in 1892 and are full of loopholes that allow many animal abusers to fall through the cracks. For more information about this issue and our campaign, please see stopanimalabuse.ca
- Improving animal transport regulations – The CFHS… is actively promoting improvements to the federal regulations covering animal transportation, to address unacceptably long transport times, overcrowded trucks and other problems causing needless suffering for farm animals. For more information about this issue and our campaign, click here.
Research and collaboration to address other areas of concern
The CFHS… regularly consults and collaborates with representatives from government, industry, and the non-profit sector to address key animal welfare challenges. Here are a few examples of the issues we’re tackling by working together with other stakeholders:
- As a founding member of the National Companion Animal Coalition, the CFHS… has helped establish the Canadian standard for microchip identification of pets, ensuring that lost pets can be more easily reunited with their owners. Other projects we’ve worked on as part of the National Companion Animal Coalition include the development of model animal control bylaws for municipalities and public education on dog bite prevention.
- The CFHS… has an ex-officio role on the animal welfare committee of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA…). This is a very active committee that addresses a broad spectrum of animal welfare issues, including farm husbandry practices, pet care, animal abuse and the seal hunt.
- The CFHS… is a founding member of the National Farm Animal Care Council and the only animal welfare organization represented on the council. The official goal of the council is to implement a comprehensive and strategic approach to farm animal care in Canada, which includes reviewing and revising national codes of practice for the treatment of farm animals. The CFHS… participates in the development and review of these codes with the goal of creating better living environments and more humane treatment for farmed animals.
